


{With A Heart Made to Be Yours (a heart that is raw for your touch)}.

by PassionsPromise



Series: {This Little Frame That Holds Me Is Worth So Much More In Your Hands}. [5]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 12:45:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7758373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PassionsPromise/pseuds/PassionsPromise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The crew each receive a Valentine's Day card, and Nyota Uhura begins to understand the Captain a little bit more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	{With A Heart Made to Be Yours (a heart that is raw for your touch)}.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I haven't updated this in a while; it's been mad-hectic lately and I haven't had much time for writing ^^
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this one!
> 
> (The next one I'm writing will be a bit of an AU, which I'm extremely excited about, so I can't wait for you all to read it!!).
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Songs Used:
> 
> Mutant & Proud: Henry Jackman.
> 
> Hope (Xavier’s Theme): Jeffrey Schindler.
> 
> Keeping Your Head Up: Birdy.

It had been two years into their mission, but it was the first time that something like this happened and Nyota Uhura had no words to describe it. She opened her mouth as she walked toward the bridge, the shock overwhelming her for all but a split second.

All she could do was stare at the red card in her hands.

Her and Spock never celebrated Valentine’s Day; they never considered it as a day of love; they celebrated their admiration, their friendship, every single day. This-

“Uhura?”

“Yes?”

“Please tell me you didn’t get one too.”

Hikaru Sulu lifted the ruby-red envelope in his hand as he spoke, and Uhura blinked as she held up the same coloured envelope in hers. They both looked at each other, then down at their separate envelopes they had found in their quarters earlier that morning.

“Letters? Who on this ship sends letters anymore? They’re… _outdated_ ,” Sulu murmured. Uhura nodded, unsure as to whether someone was playing a prank or being dead-serious. “I get it- really, I do; Valentine’s Day and everything- but seriously- I’ve got a husband. This isn’t-“

Uhura looked up and chuckled at the incredulous look on the man’s face. “I have a boyfriend too, Sulu,” she said, waving the envelope. “It seems we both have a secret admirer, though.”

They walked together to the bridge, and Uhura fingered the edge of the card, wondering whether to open it or not. The elegant scrawl- _Nyota Uhura_ \- revealed nothing of the person who wrote her the card, and she suspected that the person in question had simply printed her name as a way of hiding their identity.

This just had to be a joke, and if it was, she knew only one person who would carry it out. She smirked, and looked at Sulu. “The Captain,” she said, and he groaned.

“Look, I don’t want people knowing about this- but if it is the Captain, then-“

“Sulu, Uhura!” Chekov’s voice rounded them on the corner between halls. The Russian kid bounded up to them, grin broad, eyes twinkling, “You got one too?”

Sulu blinked, mouth open at the ruby-red envelope in the boy’s hand.

“It’s the Captain alright- he’s going to fucking get it when I see him,” Sulu said, expression deadpan.

“What?” Chekov’s face fell. “Is it all a joke?”

“The Captain may have done this, Chekov- of course we think it’s a joke,” Uhura explained. “Here, I’m opening mine.”

She started ripping the top of the envelope, and pulled out a simple, cream-coloured card with a single, red heart in the centre. She snorted, but the sight of it- the simple, elegant design on the card, made her falter. A little.

“This isn’t actually a Valentine’s card,” she said. Sulu growled as he ripped his card open, and Chekov followed suit. She opened the card, and found the words-

 

_‘I know Valentine’s means something special for you and Spock- don’t worry. I know Valentine’s isn’t really a proper holiday or anything, but this is just to say thanks; you’ve got the day off.’_

Uhura blinked, swallowed. She read through the words again, before looking up to Chekov’s raised eyebrows and Sulu’s confused expression.

“The day off?” Chekov murmured. “The Keptin has given us the day off- Valentine’s Day?”

Sulu blinked, swallowed, before folding the card. “I’d say everyone has gotten theirs- do you think the whole Enterprise has one?”

Chekov opened his mouth, “Dat’s a lot of cards, da?”

“No wonder the halls were quiet- hang on, the bridge-“ Uhura started walking in the direction of the bridge, and Sulu and Chekov followed suit. When the doors opened, they found Spock and McCoy, each with the same opened cards in their hands, and each with quizzical expressions on their faces.

“Lieutenant Uhura,” Spock said, “Do you know of the Captain’s whereabouts? I can’t seem to locate him.”

“No,” she answered, waving her card, “But you got one too?”

“We all did. He told me to call Joanna and spend the day with her,” Leonard growled, “Jesus, you think we run a goddamn game-park with the way he comes up with these things.”

“The locator isn’t working? Have you tried his quarters?” Sulu asked. Spock nodded.

“I have spoken with Mr. Scott, and he does not know, either. The rest of the Enterprise seemingly received a similar card, and all of them have received a full day of rest.”

The whole crew paused.

“’e told me to call my family in Russia,” Chekov whispered, “I ‘ave not spoken to dem in weeks because of the shift-work, and our trip to the Delta Arkgate.”

The crew went silent, recalling their near-encounter with death two weeks previous. No causalities- but there could’ve been a dead ship, if not for Sulu’s quick thinking.

Uhura shuddered. “But it’s just Valentine’s,” she said. “Why on earth would he ask for the day off on Valentine’s?”

“I want to find him. Now,” Leonard grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. “Something’s up, and I don’t bloody like it.”

“Maybe he wants the day off to go have some fun,” Sulu suggested. “It is _Jim_ were talking about.” Leonard shook his head, clenching his teeth, and mirroring the same expression as Uhura.

“No,” Uhura said. “There’s definitely something up.”

“Computer,” Spock tried, “Locate Captain Kirk.”

_“Captain Kirk is currently on the Observation Deck Five,”_ the computer answered.

Everyone looked to each other. Leonard was the first to move. “Goddamnit, Jim,” he growled again.

 

 

 

The Observation Deck was topmost of the Enterprise; the place itself was huge, one room that led into separate compartments where smaller groups could sit, away from work or their private quarters, and simply watch the stars. The walls were a deep white, but the cushioned couches and chairs were the darkest red and green; Observation Deck Five was the biggest of these viewing spaces, and it had the biggest windows, too.

Uhura knew it was Jim’s favourite place to be, when he wasn’t in the chair, of course.

_“They feel like home.”_

Of course, today, of all days, they didn’t find him there- and as soon as they arrived, Uhura knew that the computer had been hacked.

“Jim,” Leonard called to the empty space.

“I don’t think the Keptin wants to be found,” Chekov murmured as he stood behind Uhura.

“Computer, locate Captain Kirk,” Spock called out again, and this time, the computer didn’t reply.

“Is there something wrong with our systems, or do you think Scotty’s finally lost his marbles?” Sulu said.

“I’ll hev’ ya know that my marbles, Mr. Sulu, are all right where there suppos’d ta be!” Scotty answered from behind, causing Sulu to jump and turn to face the Engineer, whose arms were crossed and whose expression would douse fire. “The Captain seems to hav’ overridd’n all the codes in the computer and cannae be located. I’m still lookin’ fer him, wonderin’ why, exactly, I received _this_!”

Scotty waved the card in the air, and the comical expression on his face made Uhura smile.

“I’m no’ a goddamn Valentine, sweethear’,” Scotty said, pointing in Uhura’s general direction, his pale face turning redder by the minute. “So you can qui’ yer goddamn gigglin’ at my expense!”

Chekov hid his smile by staring pointedly at the floor.

“Essentially, this means that the Captain is playing a game of hide-and-seek, yes?” Leonard growled, his hazel eyes turning a dark shade of pissed-angry. “That’s it- he’s in his fucking room, I know it, and he’s probably got a bloody camera on us right now, and giggling his little way to merry oblivion- godddamnit, I’m going to kill him; I’m a doctor, not a fucking-“

“Doctor McCoy, I must entreat you to calm yourself,” Spock interrupted, a pointed eyebrow raised in his direction, the same pointed eye that everyone- including Uhura- was giving him. “We shall try his quarters again, and if he is not there, we will send out a search party in teams of one or two- that way, we will cover more ground.”

 

 

They did, in the end, find Jim.

In his quarters, of course.

He answered the door after Leonard near punched his way through it, grumbling about medical overrides, and took in the expressions of each of his crew members, each of the cards they held in their upright hands. Dressed in uniform, he held the door slightly closed, his hair a little ruffled from sleep, and his eyes a little bleary from tiredness. He blinked, before saying, “Please don’t tell me the _one day_ you get off and you all actually _want_ to work.”

“What’s the meaning of this, Jim?” Sulu asked.

“Um, a day off, yes?”

“No, what are you _planning_?” Uhura asked.

“Um, having a day off… yes?” the confused question at the end of the sentence had Jim searching each of his crew member’s faces, before he broke out into a grin. “Whoa, am I really that horrible a _Captain_ to serve under that you’re dubious about something this… Um… Wow.” Jim scratched the back of his neck. “Um.”

“Jim, ya overrid’ the codes on the ship,” Scotty grumbled, “A’ course we thought you were up ta somethin’.”

Jim blinked, dumbfounded. He babbled, “Sure I did- to stop you from looking, of course- not that I didn’t think anyone would want to come looking in the first place- just a precautionary measure- so-”

He stopped, fidgeted. “Anyway,” he concluded, “Yup, you all have the day off, so-“

“Goddamnit, Jim, we’re not talking about the day off, and this has _nothing_ to do with you being a Captain, and whatever you’ve just said about the bloody computer is goddamn jibberish, and you know it,” Leonard growled, holding the card up in his hand, “ _This_ \- is there something genuinely wrong? That’s what we want to know.”

Jim stared at him.

Then he barked a laugh, and the genuine rumble of it caused everyone to jump.

“ _No_! There’s nothing wrong, _nothing_! Good God, man, are you nuts? It’s Valentines! I just wanted to-“ Jim stopped, coming up short, before he shook his head. “Sorry- actually, I thought you guys might have wanted to do something for yourselves today- that’s all- I know we aren’t docked or anything, but… Well- that’s why- the cards- that’s…” Jim stopped, grappling for words that wouldn’t come. “Um-“ A faint sliver of a blush creeped up his cheeks, and suddenly, Uhura understood.

Oh.

_Oh._

_The cards._

Her mind completely blanked, and she gasped.

Jim jumped, and looked up to her, blinking, as if looking for an escape route. Everyone looked to her.

Oh.

She grabbed Jim’s wrists, holding them tight within her own, trying to school her expression into something serious, something-

“A movie night,” she said. “That’s what I’ve always wanted to do on Valentine’s. Everyone, together.”

Jim blinked, then opened his mouth, then-

“What?”

“I’ve never seen _Casablanca_ ,” she said, fumbling, “And then there’s _Sunset Boulevard_. And _Psycho_ ; I think Sulu would enjoy that one- he’s never seen it.” (A hint, if ever Sulu had heard one).

“A movie night?” Jim repeated, blinking.

“ _War and Peace_ ,” Chekov bubbled. “My father said it was a beautiful watch.”

“Really?” Jim asked, incredulous. “ _War and Peace_? Have you read the book?”

“Da,” Chekov nodded, “A beautiful story.”

“And _Psycho_? You haven’t seen _Psycho_?” Jim added, turning to Sulu.

Sulu shook his head. “I always get the feeling I’m missing out whenever someone mentions it.”

“You are,” Jim answered, “Dude, do you know how _old_ that film is- it’s almost as old as Bones-“

“Can it, kid,” Leonard grumbled, folding his arms. “Look, we meet at Deck Five in a few hours, and we watch all these stupid films, ya hear?”

Jim blinked, “But, what about-“

“Valentine’s means spending the day with someone special, da?” Chekov said. “Well, you guys are special to me- I can’t pick one of you to spend the day with, can I?”

“Aye, what the kid just said there, laddie,” Scotty bubbled. “And jus’ so you know, _The Quiet Man_ is a classic for the green isle, ya hear?”

Jim laughed, “Scotty, you’re not from Ireland-“

“Nope. But it brings me home whenever I watch it,” Scotty answered, winking, “Just as being wi’ you guys brings me home too.”

The silence deafened the group, and Jim seemed to falter, standing at the doorway of his quarters. He whispered, “You have families, waiting to hear from all of you, so go and do that, okay? They know you’re calling, guys, so just-“

Jim had no family, no blood-relations. All of them had disappeared, dissolved over time. Yet, Uhura reached out for Jim’s shoulders, pulling him down to focus on her, and it was there that she could see it, just as she had known; he wanted them to be with the people that they loved, the people that they were in love with.

_He wanted to say that he loved them._

“Valentine’s isn’t just supposed to be about being in love, Jim. It’s also about celebrating the friendships we’ve made, and the family we have, here, _now_.”

Jim blinked, but he didn’t speak a word. He faltered, the stepped back, suddenly finding the floor a lot more interesting than the smiling faces of his crew members. A small, nervous chuckle escaped his lips, and he swallowed. “Fine,” he said. “Okay. Fine- um- call your families, though- or do, you know, whatever you want, for a few hours- and- um-“

“Kid. Observation Deck Five, two hours from now. Bring the whiskey, and that bourbon you have in your locker- yeah, of course I knew about it,” Leonard added when he caught Jim’s shocked expression. “I can _smell_ bourbon from miles away.”

“And that doesn’t make you sound like the biggest stalker in the universe, McCoy,” Sulu said.

“Da,” Chekov added, “I think the good doctor likes our Keptin a little too much, don’t you think- maybe he should spend Valentine’s Day wi-“

Leonard (playfully, everyone hoped) pushed a forceful hand down on Chekov’s shoulder. “Oh, **kid** , _can it_ before I _can you_.”

Jim chuckled again, and the lightness of the sound rang out in Uhura’s ears, and, without realizing, she had intertwined her fingers around Spock’s, feeling his hand answering the kiss of her skin against his.

 

 

 

“You know, I _always_ get the impression that Bones is a _Pretty Woman_ type of guy.”

Leonard threw popcorn at Jim’s face, grumbling under his breath. “No. I am not, ya dumbass.”

“No,” Uhura said, “He’s actually a _Notting Hill_ type of guy.”

(She knew this from a drunk conversation with him many, many months ago, and had been saving it for precisely this reason).

Leonard flushed, then threw all of his popcorn at Jim beside him.

“Oh, that’s priceless-!” Jim laughed. “Really, Bones-?”

“Can it- I want to watch Norman Bates hack the shit out of Marion Crane, thank you,” Leonard growled.

Sulu looked from over Jim’s shoulder. “Thanks for ruining the fucking movie- were only five minutes in.”

Leonard turned to face him, a comically-stupid expression on his face, “How on earth have you _not_ heard about this scene- the fuck, Sulu?”

“We’re watching _Notting Hill_ after this, guys,” Jim interrupted, “And then we have to see _The Artist_ , and then-“

“Jim, _no_ -“

Chekov leaned down into the doctor’s other shoulder at that point, causing the doctor to stop talking and look down, “What the actual-“

“We’ve been watching movies for the last five hours, Len. Don’t be so surprised if people start falling asleep on you,” Uhura murmured, watching the sleeping Chekov with a small smile on her face.

“Chekov has been doing extra shifts since we cannae find a replacement,” Scotty added. “Of course, so has our Captain.”

Jim snorted. “Yeah, but Chekov’s been working a lot harder lately than me.”

“Sure- that’s what you keep telling us, Captain. As if we didn’t know about the paperwork in your room,” Sulu said.

“I believe, Mr. Sulu, that you have also displayed the same- as you call it- ability to ‘stalk’ Jim,” Spock said by Uhura’s side.

“Course, Spock. We are talking about me, here. There’s nothing I can’t do,” Sulu replied.

“We’ve got _hours_ of movies left to watch, though,” Leonard said.

“Would ya shut it, ya bloody grouching bag of complaints!” Scotty growled from beside Spock. “I want to see a gory death without your grumbling sound effects, thank you.”

The silence filtered out between each of them as Marion Crane met her bloody, watery end.

A few minutes had passed, and Uhura looked over and found Jim closing his eyes against the black and white lightning of the projector Scotty had filched from the depths of engineering. He was leaning on Leonard, and the doctor dipped a little further down into the couch they had pulled up earlier to allow both Chekov and Jim easier access to his shoulders. The movement caused Sulu to look down and take in the sleeping form of their Captain. They all smiled when they caught each other looking at the same man, the same person who had given a little bit of himself earlier this morning.

Jim was a tactile man by nature; the whole of the crew knew about it, to a certain extent, and didn’t flinch when Jim would use a hand or even a finger, to sooth away whatever he was trying to hide from them. Uhura had noticed many, many times, how Jim would hold something- a hand, a shoulder, a cheek- how Jim would grip it with the intention of never, ever letting go, and in those moments she often wondered how, as a child, he had been denied something so simple a sense as touch, as love.

The cards were his way of saying that he loved them, that they were his family.

That they meant something more to him than he could ever properly say.

When some of Jim’s personal documents had been disclosed- after the Khan incident- Uhura had realized the truth, and it was then that her respect for Jim, for his selflessness, his battered past, had kindled into something closer to love- a sisterly love, and one that had seen Jim through many, many tough times.

Spock’s hand enclosed Uhura’s, and even she noticed the slight tilt of his lips as he watched all of them snuggle a little closer to each other.

“Thanks, guys,” Jim’s muffled voice came out from Leonard’s shoulder. He sounded like as if he was already asleep, and Uhura smiled a little more. “Couldn’t a’ celebrated it any better- love you…”

They each looked at Jim, knowing he didn’t say those words consciously, but cherishing the fact that he said them all the same.

Uhura grabbed the blanket that lay over her legs and walked over to drape it over Jim, Leonard and Chekov, before she caressed the Captain’s cheek with feather-light fingers, watching the lines sooth out over his face. She caught Leonard’s calm, smiling eyes, and she whispered, “Sweet dreams, Captain.”


End file.
